​Pornography addiction is present when an individual’s excessive pornography use interferes with his daily life.  It is characterized by obsessive viewing, reading and thinking about pornography to the detriment of one’s ability to function healthfully and happily in other areas of his life.  The addict feels a recurring compulsion to act out with pornography despite harmful consequences, as deemed by the addict himself, to his health, mental state or social life

What is pornography addiction?

​Pornography addiction is one type of behavior addiction that involves a psychological dependency on the pornography.  Other types of behavior addictions include gambling, food, sex, computers, video games, the internet, work, exercise, watching television, spiritual obsession, cutting, and shopping.  Addiction to pornography or these other behaviors may lead to feelings of guilt, shame, fear, hopelessness, failure, rejection, anxiety or humiliation.  If this addiction is not treated it can lead to depression.

​Pornography addiction is similar to a drug addiction.  Instead of a drug, however, the addict gets addicted to his own neurochemistry.  Instead of having an addictive relationship to a chemical, the addict has an addictive relationship to an experience.    

What’s going on in my brain that’s making me addicted to this experience?  

​There are several neural-chemical pathways in the brain that can be hijacked by the continued use of Internet pornography.  It then becomes the default way of coping with stress, anxiety, loneliness or boredom.  Evolution has wired us for sexual novelty. When we see something sexually new we continue to maintain sexual arousal. This is what internet porn provides. With high-speed internet porn, the viewer is contently finding and seeking new images and videos and creates the almost never ending cycle of arousal. Often the orgasm for the addict is a disappointment because the constant escape of arousal ends. This continuous sexual novelty can lead some individuals to get hooked on porn.

Why am I addicted to pornography?

​Many times people don’t understand why pornography pulls them in so strongly.  There can be many reasons why a person is drawn to pornography, yet for each individual the reasons are unique.  The draw can be a result of many factors including the desire to escape painful feelings and emotions, and deal with the past hurts, abuse or trauma.  It can also be due to intense early childhood exposure to pornography.  

Sometimes pornography addiction can develop for no apparent reason at all.  The allure of the Internet alone, with access to pornography so easy, tempting and anonymous, can lead to an addiction over time.  The human brain is simply not designed to experience such an intense volume of pornography in short amounts of time.    

How do I fix this?

​An addict should see a therapist to understand what circumstances have led him to pornography and to begin to understand why it has become a problem.  The therapist can then help the addict gain knowledge, learn coping skills and create a plan to heal and recover. It can take time for the brain to change, and a supportive therapist can give you the tools you need to maintain your goals of ending your addiction to porn.

I’m so embarrassed!  Do I really need help?

Anyone can get addicted to pornography.  It is isolating and lonely and has a lot of consequences.  Many people contact a therapist after all else has failed.  They’ve probably tried several times to stop and have found themselves back into porn.  They’ve probably made promises to themselves to stop, such as “this will be the last time”… “the last time today, this week, this year… I won’t do it again”.  At Novus, we are not here to judge you but to help you. We understand what’s going on and can help you overcome this problem.

What do I do now?

The first step is reaching out for help!  Because pornography addiction is so isolating, many people don’t reach out and they try to struggle alone.  But this is not about will power!  You need new knowledge and skills to be able to stop.  Willpower alone will not work and leaves an addict likely to find himself back in an addictive situation.  If it was only willpower that was required, you would most likely not be looking at this website for help.  You wouldn’t need help.  If it was just willpower there wouldn’t be an addiction. 

​Call now to schedule an appointment to know about sex addiction treatment and also couples therapy Orange County